Olam Ghana’s Newly Expanded Factory to Take A Bigger Bite Out of Biscuit Sector

03 Apr 2017 --- Nutrifoods Ghana Ltd, majority owned by Olam International, has opened its newly expanded biscuit production facility in Tema, Ghana manufacturing high quality biscuits for the domestic and export markets. Jointly owned by Olam International (75%) and Sanyo Foods of Japan (25%), the Nutrifoods facility is currently the leading biscuit factory in Ghana.

It produces an assorted brand portfolio which includes two of the most popular biscuits in the country – the King Cracker and the Perk Shortcake.

The company invested US$8.25 million in expansion work, upgrading the capacity of the facility with new state-of-the-art production equipment and technology including an additional third production line.

The expansion has strengthened Nutrifoods’ position as the number one biscuit producer in Ghana with a 30% market share and comes just a few months after Nutrifoods Biscuits became the first biscuit factory in West Africa to be awarded the globally acknowledged FSSC (Food System Certification Scheme) accreditation.

Moreover, the expansion has increased employment opportunities offered by the company, providing an additional 150 jobs and raising the existing workforce to 600 employees, of which 99% are Ghanaians.

The completion of the expansion project is hailed by stakeholders as a major milestone not only for Nutrifoods but also for the entire food manufacturing sector in Ghana. 

An inauguration ceremony held at the factory recently was attended by the Minister of State for Trade and Industry of Singapore, Dr. Koh Poh Koon and Ghana’s Minister for Trade and Industry, Alan K. Kyeremanten.

At the event, Dr. Koh congratulated Olam on the inauguration of its factory and expressed hope that more Singapore companies can participate actively in Ghana’s growth. He also noted that Singapore companies are not just investing in the physical infrastructure but also in building human resource capabilities for Ghana’s future, with companies such as Olam sponsoring educational program in Ghana.

“With this expansion, we have doubled our existing production capacity, developed a new capability to make more varieties of biscuits, enhanced food safety and security through automation of our production line, and increased employment in other areas of operation,” said Chitwan Singh, Business Head at Nutrifoods Biscuits.

“The Ghanaian government has created a conducive environment for investments and businesses to thrive, which augurs well for future investments to flow into the country. We are proud to provide Ghanaian consumers with products suited to their tastes, with many of our brands among the favorites here, such as King Cracker, Perk, Tasty Tom, Royal Aroma, Royal Feast and First Choice,” adds Amit Agrawal, Country Head of Olam Ghana.

Olam Ghana is a local subsidiary of Olam International which has a 22-year long track record in Ghana as a major supply chain manager of agricultural products and a leading agro-commodity and packaged foods company.

The company is ranked among the country’s top Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs), a leading supplier of Ghana’s cocoa beans into European and Asian markets and is Ghana’s biggest exporter of cashew and importer of rice. The company became one of the country’s major wheat millers when in 2012, it opened a new state-of-the-art wheat flour mill at Tema.